Milling Uranium production and resources Uranium history

Simplified flow chart of uranium ore processing from Uranium • In 1789 Martin Klaproth, a German chemist, isolated an
mining to the production of concentrate. These processes 2015
Country resources (tU)* oxide of uranium while analyzing pitchblende samples 2016/17
are commonly known as milling and the product – production (tU)
<US$130/kg from silver mines in Bohemia. Pocket Guide
uranium oxide concentrate – is the raw material for
making nuclear fuel. Australia 5672 1,174,000 • For over 100 years uranium was mainly used as a
colorant for ceramic glazes and for tinting in early
Brazil 42 155,100 photography. Uranium was produced in Bohemia,
Open pit Underground Cornwall (UK), Portugal and Colorado and total
mining mining
Canada 13,325 357,500 production amounted to about 300-400 tonnes.
Crushing &
China 1616 120,000 • The discovery of radium in 1898 by Marie Curie led
grinding
to the construction of a number of radium extraction
Czech Republic 155 1300 plants processing uranium ore (radium is a decay
product of uranium).
Leaching
India 385 Not available
• Prized for its use in cancer therapy, radium reached a
Kazakhstan 23,800 285,600 price of 750,000 gold francs per gram in 1906 (US$10
Tailings disposal Separate solids million). It is estimated that 754 grams were produced
Recycle Malawi 0 8200 worldwide between 1898 and 1928. Uranium itself was
barren liquor treated simply as a waste material.
In-situ Extract U Namibia 2993 248,200
• With the discovery of nuclear fission in 1939, the uranium
leach mining in liquor
Niger 4116 325,000 industry entered a new era. On 2 December 1942, the

Precipitate Recycle Pakistan 45 Not available

first controlled nuclear chain reaction was achieved in
Chicago. Although nuclear fission was first used for Uranium,
military purposes, the emergence of civil nuclear power
© World Nuclear Association, August 2016. Cover image: Cameco

uranium barren liquor

Romania 77 3100 reactors in the 1950s demonstrated the enormous
potential of nuclear fission for supplying electricity.
From Mine to Mill
Russia 3055 216,500
Separate solids • From a small beginning in 1951, when four lightbulbs
were lit with nuclear electricity, the nuclear power
South Africa 393 175,300
industry now supplies about 11% of world electricity.
Drying Ukraine 1200 84,800 • Between the mid-1940s and the late-1980s, uranium
supply exceeded reactor requirements. However, the
USA 1256 207,400 gap between requirements and production since 1990
Uranium oxide concentrate, U3O8
has been filled by secondary supplies, mostly from
(yellowcake) contains approximately 85% Uzbekistan 2385 59,400
stockpiles including military inventory. Going forward,
uranium by weight
the gap will increasingly be filled by higher primary
Other 2 277,500
production, as secondary supplies diminish.
World Nuclear Association Total 60,516 3,698,900
Tower House +44 (0)20 7451 1520
10 Southampton Street www.world-nuclear.org *OECD/NEA Reasonably Assured Resources category
London WC2E 7HA UK info@world-nuclear.org Sources: World Nuclear Association & OECD/NEA www.world-nuclear.org
Top uranium mines in 2014-2015 Leading uranium mining companies* World uranium production, 2015
% of world 2015 production
Production (tU) Company
Mine Country Main owner Mine type production Actual (tU) World share (%)
2014 2015 2014 2015 Kazatomprom 12,951 21
McArthur River Canada Cameco Conventional 7356 7354 13 12
Cameco 10,926 18
Cigar Lake Canada Cameco Conventional 132 4345 0 7
Areva 8076 13
Katco (Tortkuduk / Muyunku) Kazakhstan Areva ISL 4322 4109 8 7
ARMZ-Uranium One 7849 13
By-product
Olympic Dam Australia BHP Billiton 3351 3179 6 5 BHP Billiton 3179 5
(copper)
Arlit (Somair) Niger Areva Conventional 2331 2509 4 4 Rio Tinto Uranium 2757 5
Inkai Kazakhstan Cameco ISL 1922 2234 3 4 CNNC/CGN 2689 4
Karatau (Budenovskoye 2) Kazakhstan Uranium One/ Kazatomprom ISL 2084 2061 4 3 Navoi Mining 2385 4
South Inkai Kazakhstan Uranium One/ Kazatomprom ISL 2002 2055 4 3 Paladin 1453 2
Priargunsky Russia ARMZ Conventional 1970 1977 4 3 Sub-total 52,265 86
Langer Heinrich Namibia Paladin Conventional 1947 1937 3 3 World total 60,516 100  40% Kazakhstan  6% Others
Total from top mines 27,418 31,760 49 52
*based on ownership share  22% Canada  5% Russia
 12% Africa  4% Uzbekistan
Mineralogy and ore grade Mining methods Processing and extraction  9% Australia  2% USA

• Uraninite is the most common primary uranium
mineral; others of economic interest include coffinite
and brannerite. The most common form of uraninite
is pitchblende, which is sometimes associated with
colourful secondary uranium minerals derived from
weathering.
• The average abundance of uranium in the Earth’s crust
is 2.7 parts per million, making it more common than tin.
• The concentration of uranium needed to form an
economic mineral deposit varies widely depending
on its geological setting and physical location.
Average ore grades at operating uranium mines
range from 0.03% U to as high as 24% U, but are
most frequently less than 1% U. Lower uranium
grades are viable as by-product.
• Open pit: used to mine relatively shallow deposits. • Crushing and grinding: breaks down the ore to fine
Economics depend on the ratio of ore to waste, higher particles. Mining method, 2015
grade ores having lower ratios.
• Leaching: acid or alkali dissolves the uranium, and 0 10 20 30 40 50
• Underground: used to mine deposits too deep the uranium-bearing solution is separated from the
for open pit mining. For mining to be viable, these leached solids.
deposits must be comparatively high grade. 48%
• Extraction: ion exchange or solvent extraction In-situ leach
• In-situ leach: this method is applicable only to methods are used to separate the dissolved uranium.
sandstone-hosted uranium deposits located below
• Precipitation and drying: uranium is precipitated from 46%
the water table in a confined aquifer. The uranium is
dissolved in acid or alkali injected into and recovered solution using one of several chemicals. Dewatering, Conventional
filtration and drying complete the process. The final
from the aquifer by means of wells. The geology
product is sometimes known as yellowcake, although
remains undisturbed. 6%
it is typically khaki in colour.
By-product
• By-product: uranium often occurs in association with
other minerals such as gold (South Africa), phosphate
(USA and elsewhere) and copper (Australia).